Language Assessment
Principles and Classroom Practices
3rd Edition
Will be published approx. on 23. March 2018
Book
Paperback/Softback
400 pages
978-0-13-486022-0 (ISBN)
Description
Language Assessment: Principles and Classroom Practices is designed to offer a comprehensive survey of essential principles and tools for second language assessment. Its first and second editions have been successfully used in teacher-training courses, teacher certification curricula, and TESOL master of arts programs. As the third in a trilogy of teacher education textbooks, it is designed to follow H. Douglas Brown's other two books, Principles of Language Learning and Teaching (sixth edition, Pearson Education, 2014) and Teaching by Principles(fourth edition, Pearson Education, 2015). References to those two books are made throughout the current book. Language Assessment features uncomplicated prose and a systematic, spiraling organization. Concepts are introduced with practical examples, understandable explanations, and succinct references to supportive research. The research literature on language assessment can be quite complex and assume that readers have technical knowledge and experience in testing. By the end of Language Assessment, however, readers will have gained access to this not-so-frightening field. They will have a working knowledge of a number of useful, fundamental principles of assessment and will have applied those principles to practical classroom contexts. They will also have acquired a storehouse of useful tools for evaluating and designing practical, effective assessment techniques for their classrooms.
More details
Edition
3rd edition
Language
English
Place of publication
Upper Saddle River
United States
Target group
College/higher education
Dimensions
Height: 232 mm
Width: 178 mm
Thickness: 14 mm
Weight
500 gr
ISBN-13
978-0-13-486022-0 (9780134860220)
Copyright in bibliographic data and cover images is held by Nielsen Book Services Limited or by the publishers or by their respective licensors: all rights reserved.
Schweitzer Classification
Persons
Dr. H. Douglas Brown, professor emeritus at San Francisco State University, has written books and articles on second language acquisition, language pedagogy, and language assessment. A past TESOL president and recipient of TESOL's Alatis Award for Distinguished Service, Dr. Brown has spoken to language teacher audiences around the world.
Dr. Priyanvada Abeywickrama, an associate professor in the MA-TESOL program at San Francisco State University, has trained teachers in Sri Lanka and the United States. She specializes in language assessment and is a frequent presenter at TESOL, AAAL, and the Language Testing Research Colloquium.
Dr. Priyanvada Abeywickrama, an associate professor in the MA-TESOL program at San Francisco State University, has trained teachers in Sri Lanka and the United States. She specializes in language assessment and is a frequent presenter at TESOL, AAAL, and the Language Testing Research Colloquium.
Content
Preface Text Credits Chapter 1 Assessment Concepts and Issues Assessment and Testing Measurement and Evaluation Assessment and Learning Informal and Formal Assessment Formative and Summative Assessment Norm-Referenced and Criterion-Referenced Tests Types and Purposes of Assessment Achievement Tests Diagnostic Tests Placement Tests Proficiency Tests Aptitude Tests Issues in Language Assessment: Then and Now Behavioral Influences on Language Testing Integrative Approaches Communicative Language Testing Traditional and Alternative Assessment Performance-Based Assessment Current "Hot Topics" in Language Assessment Dynamic Assessment Assessing Pragmatics Use of Technology in Testing Exercises For Your Further Reading Chapter 2 Principles of Language Assessment Practicality Reliability Student-Related Reliability
Rater Reliability Test Administration Reliability Test Reliability Validity Content-Related Evidence Criterion-Related Evidence Construct-Related Evidence Consequential Validity (Impact) Face Validity Authenticity Washback Applying Principles to Classroom Testing Are the Test Procedures Practical? Is the Test Itself Reliable? Can You Ensure Rater Reliability? Does the Procedure Demonstrate Content Validity? Has the Impact of the Test Been Carefully Accounted for? Are the Test Tasks as Authentic as Possible? Does the Test Offer Beneficial Washback to the Learner? Maximizing Both Practicality and Washback Exercises For Your Further Reading Chapter 3 Designing Classroom Language Tests Four Assessment Scenarios Scenario 1: Reading Quiz Scenario 2: Grammar Unit Test Scenario 3: Midterm Essay Scenario 4: Listening/Speaking Final Exam Determining the Purpose of a Test Test Usefulness Reading Quiz Defining Abilities to be Assessed Grammar Unit Test Drawing up Test Specifications Grammar Unit Test Midterm Essay Devising Test Items Midterm Essay Listening/Speaking Final Exam Designing Multiple-Choice Items Design Each Item to Measure a Single Objective State Both Stem and Options as Simply and Directly as Possible Make Certain That the Intended Answer Is Clearly Only the Correct One Use Item Indices to Accept, Discard, or Revise Items (Optional) Listening/Speaking Final Exam Administering the Test Scoring, Grading, and Giving Feedback Scoring
Grading Giving Feedback
Exercises For Your Further Reading
Chapter 4 Standards-Based Assessment
The Role of Standards in Standardized Tests Standards-Based Education
Designing English Language Standards
Standards-Based Assessment
CASAS and SCANS
Teacher Standards
Consequences of Standards-Based Assessment and Standardized Testing
Test Bias
Test-Driven Learning and Teaching
Ethical Issues: Critical Language Testing
Exercises
For Your Further Reading
Chapter 5 Standardized Testing
Advantages and Disadvantages of Standardized Tests
Developing a Standardized Test
Step 1: Determine the Purpose and Objectives of the Test
Step 2: Design Test Specifications
Step 3: Design, Select, and Arrange Test Tasks/Items
Step 4: Make Appropriate Evaluations of Different Kinds of Items
Step 5: Specify Scoring Procedures and Reporting Formats
Step 6: Perform Ongoing Construct Validation Studies
Standardized Language Proficiency Testing
Exercises
For Your Further Reading
Chapter 6 Assessing Listening
Cautionary Observations on Assessing Language Skills Separately
Integration of Skills in Language Assessment
Assessing Grammar and Vocabulary
Observing the Performance of the Four Skills
Basic Types of Listening
Micro- and Macroskills of Listening
Designing Assessment Tasks: Intensive Listening
Recognizing Phonological and Morphological Elements
Paraphrase Recognition
Designing Assessment Tasks: Responsive Listening
Designing Assessment Tasks: Selective Listening
Listening Cloze
Information Transfer
Sentence Repetition
Designing Assessment Tasks: Extensive Listening
Dictation
Communicative Stimulus-Response Tasks
Authentic Listening Tasks
Exercises
For Your Further Reading
Chapter 7 Assessing Speaking
Basic Types of Speaking
Imitative
Intensive
Responsive
Interactive
Extensive (Monologue)
Microskills and Macroskills of Speaking
Designing Assessment Tasks: Imitative Speaking
Versant (R)
Designing Assessment Tasks: Intensive Speaking
Directed Response Tasks
Read-Aloud Tasks
Sentence/Dialogue Completion Tasks and Oral Questionnaires
Picture-Cued Tasks
Translation (of Limited Stretches of Discourse)
Designing Assessment Tasks: Responsive Speaking
Question and Answer
Giving Instructions and Directions
Paraphrasing
Designing Assessment Tasks: Interactive Speaking
Interview
Role Play
Discussions and Conversations
Games
ACTFL Oral Proficiency Interview
Designing Assessments: Extensive Speaking
Oral Presentations
Picture-Cued Storytelling
Retelling a Story, News Event
Translation (of Extended Prose)
Exercises
For Your Further Reading
Chapter 8 Assessing Reading
Genres of Reading
Microskills, Macroskills, and Strategies for Reading
Types of Reading
Perceptive
Selective
Interactive
Extensive
Designing Assessment Tasks: Perceptive Reading
Reading Aloud
Written Response Multiple-Choice Picture-Cued Items
Designing Assessment Tasks: Selective Reading
Multiple-Choice (for Form-Focused Criteria) Matching Tasks
Editing Tasks
Picture-Cued Tasks
Gap-Filling Tasks
Designing Assessment Tasks: Interactive Reading
Cloze Tasks
Impromptu Reading Plus Comprehension Questions
Short-Answer Tasks
Editing (Longer Texts)
Scanning
Sequencing
Information Transfer: Reading Charts, Maps, Graphs, Diagrams
Designing Assessment Tasks: Extensive Reading
Skimming Tasks
Summarizing and Responding
Notetaking and Outlining
Exercises
For Your Further Reading
Chapter 9 Assessing Writing
Genres of Written Language
Types of Writing Performance
Micro- and Macroskills of Writing
Designing Assessment Tasks: Imitative Writing
Tasks in (Hand-)Writing Letters, Words, and Punctuation
Spelling Tasks and Detecting Phoneme-Grapheme Correspondences
Designing Assessment Tasks: Intensive (Controlled) Writing
Dictation and Dicto-Comp
Grammatical Transformation Tasks
Picture-Cued Tasks
Vocabulary Assessment Tasks
Ordering Tasks
Short-Answer and Sentence-Completion Tasks
Issues in Assessing Responsive and Extensive Writing
Designing Assessment Tasks: Responsive and Extensive Writing
Paraphrasing
Guided Question and Answer
Paragraph Construction Tasks
Strategic Options
Standardized Tests of Responsive Writing
Scoring Methods for Responsive and Extensive Writing
Holistic Scoring
Analytic Scoring Primary Trait Scoring
Beyond Scoring: Responding to Extensive Writing
Assessing Initial Stages of the Process of Composing
Assessing Later Stages of the Process of Composing
Exercises
For Your Further Reading
Chapter 10 Assessing Grammar and Vocabulary
Understanding Form-Focused Assessment
Assessing Grammar
Defining Grammatical Knowledge
Designing Assessment Tasks: Selected Response
Designing Assessment Tasks: Limited Production
Designing Assessment Tasks: Extended Production
Assessing Vocabulary
The Nature of Vocabulary
Defining Lexical Knowledge
Some Considerations in Designing Assessment Tasks
Designing Assessment Tasks: Receptive Vocabulary
Designing Assessment Tasks: Productive Vocabulary
Exercises
For Your Further Reading
Chapter 11 Grading and Student Evaluation
The Philosophy of Grading: What Should Grades Reflect?
Guidelines for Selecting Grading Criteria
Calculating Grades: Absolute and Relative Grading
Teachers' Perceptions of Appropriate Grade Distributions
Institutional Expectations and Constraints
Cultural Norms and the Question of Difficulty
What Do Letter Grades "Mean"?
Scoring and Grading Tests and Assignments
Scoring Methods
Scoring Open-Ended Responses
Developing a Rubric
Guidelines for Grading and Evaluation
Exercises
For Your Further Reading
Chapter 12 Beyond Letter Grading
Self- and Peer Assessment
Advantages of Self- and Peer Assessment
Types of Self- and Peer Assessment
Guidelines for Self- and Peer Assessment
A Taxonomy of Self- and Peer Assessment Tasks
Portfolios 130
Clear Purpose
Specific Guidelines
Transparent Assessment Criteria
Designated Time Allocated
Scheduled Review and Conferencing
Designated Location
Positive Final Assessments
Narrative Evaluations
Checklist Evaluations
Exercises
For Your Further Reading
Appendix: Commercially Produced Tests of English as a Second/Foreign Language
Glossary
Bibliography n
Rater Reliability Test Administration Reliability Test Reliability Validity Content-Related Evidence Criterion-Related Evidence Construct-Related Evidence Consequential Validity (Impact) Face Validity Authenticity Washback Applying Principles to Classroom Testing Are the Test Procedures Practical? Is the Test Itself Reliable? Can You Ensure Rater Reliability? Does the Procedure Demonstrate Content Validity? Has the Impact of the Test Been Carefully Accounted for? Are the Test Tasks as Authentic as Possible? Does the Test Offer Beneficial Washback to the Learner? Maximizing Both Practicality and Washback Exercises For Your Further Reading Chapter 3 Designing Classroom Language Tests Four Assessment Scenarios Scenario 1: Reading Quiz Scenario 2: Grammar Unit Test Scenario 3: Midterm Essay Scenario 4: Listening/Speaking Final Exam Determining the Purpose of a Test Test Usefulness Reading Quiz Defining Abilities to be Assessed Grammar Unit Test Drawing up Test Specifications Grammar Unit Test Midterm Essay Devising Test Items Midterm Essay Listening/Speaking Final Exam Designing Multiple-Choice Items Design Each Item to Measure a Single Objective State Both Stem and Options as Simply and Directly as Possible Make Certain That the Intended Answer Is Clearly Only the Correct One Use Item Indices to Accept, Discard, or Revise Items (Optional) Listening/Speaking Final Exam Administering the Test Scoring, Grading, and Giving Feedback Scoring
Grading Giving Feedback
Exercises For Your Further Reading
Chapter 4 Standards-Based Assessment
The Role of Standards in Standardized Tests Standards-Based Education
Designing English Language Standards
Standards-Based Assessment
CASAS and SCANS
Teacher Standards
Consequences of Standards-Based Assessment and Standardized Testing
Test Bias
Test-Driven Learning and Teaching
Ethical Issues: Critical Language Testing
Exercises
For Your Further Reading
Chapter 5 Standardized Testing
Advantages and Disadvantages of Standardized Tests
Developing a Standardized Test
Step 1: Determine the Purpose and Objectives of the Test
Step 2: Design Test Specifications
Step 3: Design, Select, and Arrange Test Tasks/Items
Step 4: Make Appropriate Evaluations of Different Kinds of Items
Step 5: Specify Scoring Procedures and Reporting Formats
Step 6: Perform Ongoing Construct Validation Studies
Standardized Language Proficiency Testing
Exercises
For Your Further Reading
Chapter 6 Assessing Listening
Cautionary Observations on Assessing Language Skills Separately
Integration of Skills in Language Assessment
Assessing Grammar and Vocabulary
Observing the Performance of the Four Skills
Basic Types of Listening
Micro- and Macroskills of Listening
Designing Assessment Tasks: Intensive Listening
Recognizing Phonological and Morphological Elements
Paraphrase Recognition
Designing Assessment Tasks: Responsive Listening
Designing Assessment Tasks: Selective Listening
Listening Cloze
Information Transfer
Sentence Repetition
Designing Assessment Tasks: Extensive Listening
Dictation
Communicative Stimulus-Response Tasks
Authentic Listening Tasks
Exercises
For Your Further Reading
Chapter 7 Assessing Speaking
Basic Types of Speaking
Imitative
Intensive
Responsive
Interactive
Extensive (Monologue)
Microskills and Macroskills of Speaking
Designing Assessment Tasks: Imitative Speaking
Versant (R)
Designing Assessment Tasks: Intensive Speaking
Directed Response Tasks
Read-Aloud Tasks
Sentence/Dialogue Completion Tasks and Oral Questionnaires
Picture-Cued Tasks
Translation (of Limited Stretches of Discourse)
Designing Assessment Tasks: Responsive Speaking
Question and Answer
Giving Instructions and Directions
Paraphrasing
Designing Assessment Tasks: Interactive Speaking
Interview
Role Play
Discussions and Conversations
Games
ACTFL Oral Proficiency Interview
Designing Assessments: Extensive Speaking
Oral Presentations
Picture-Cued Storytelling
Retelling a Story, News Event
Translation (of Extended Prose)
Exercises
For Your Further Reading
Chapter 8 Assessing Reading
Genres of Reading
Microskills, Macroskills, and Strategies for Reading
Types of Reading
Perceptive
Selective
Interactive
Extensive
Designing Assessment Tasks: Perceptive Reading
Reading Aloud
Written Response Multiple-Choice Picture-Cued Items
Designing Assessment Tasks: Selective Reading
Multiple-Choice (for Form-Focused Criteria) Matching Tasks
Editing Tasks
Picture-Cued Tasks
Gap-Filling Tasks
Designing Assessment Tasks: Interactive Reading
Cloze Tasks
Impromptu Reading Plus Comprehension Questions
Short-Answer Tasks
Editing (Longer Texts)
Scanning
Sequencing
Information Transfer: Reading Charts, Maps, Graphs, Diagrams
Designing Assessment Tasks: Extensive Reading
Skimming Tasks
Summarizing and Responding
Notetaking and Outlining
Exercises
For Your Further Reading
Chapter 9 Assessing Writing
Genres of Written Language
Types of Writing Performance
Micro- and Macroskills of Writing
Designing Assessment Tasks: Imitative Writing
Tasks in (Hand-)Writing Letters, Words, and Punctuation
Spelling Tasks and Detecting Phoneme-Grapheme Correspondences
Designing Assessment Tasks: Intensive (Controlled) Writing
Dictation and Dicto-Comp
Grammatical Transformation Tasks
Picture-Cued Tasks
Vocabulary Assessment Tasks
Ordering Tasks
Short-Answer and Sentence-Completion Tasks
Issues in Assessing Responsive and Extensive Writing
Designing Assessment Tasks: Responsive and Extensive Writing
Paraphrasing
Guided Question and Answer
Paragraph Construction Tasks
Strategic Options
Standardized Tests of Responsive Writing
Scoring Methods for Responsive and Extensive Writing
Holistic Scoring
Analytic Scoring Primary Trait Scoring
Beyond Scoring: Responding to Extensive Writing
Assessing Initial Stages of the Process of Composing
Assessing Later Stages of the Process of Composing
Exercises
For Your Further Reading
Chapter 10 Assessing Grammar and Vocabulary
Understanding Form-Focused Assessment
Assessing Grammar
Defining Grammatical Knowledge
Designing Assessment Tasks: Selected Response
Designing Assessment Tasks: Limited Production
Designing Assessment Tasks: Extended Production
Assessing Vocabulary
The Nature of Vocabulary
Defining Lexical Knowledge
Some Considerations in Designing Assessment Tasks
Designing Assessment Tasks: Receptive Vocabulary
Designing Assessment Tasks: Productive Vocabulary
Exercises
For Your Further Reading
Chapter 11 Grading and Student Evaluation
The Philosophy of Grading: What Should Grades Reflect?
Guidelines for Selecting Grading Criteria
Calculating Grades: Absolute and Relative Grading
Teachers' Perceptions of Appropriate Grade Distributions
Institutional Expectations and Constraints
Cultural Norms and the Question of Difficulty
What Do Letter Grades "Mean"?
Scoring and Grading Tests and Assignments
Scoring Methods
Scoring Open-Ended Responses
Developing a Rubric
Guidelines for Grading and Evaluation
Exercises
For Your Further Reading
Chapter 12 Beyond Letter Grading
Self- and Peer Assessment
Advantages of Self- and Peer Assessment
Types of Self- and Peer Assessment
Guidelines for Self- and Peer Assessment
A Taxonomy of Self- and Peer Assessment Tasks
Portfolios 130
Clear Purpose
Specific Guidelines
Transparent Assessment Criteria
Designated Time Allocated
Scheduled Review and Conferencing
Designated Location
Positive Final Assessments
Narrative Evaluations
Checklist Evaluations
Exercises
For Your Further Reading
Appendix: Commercially Produced Tests of English as a Second/Foreign Language
Glossary
Bibliography n